Georgia outside linebacker Leonard Floyd (84) manhandles Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley (9) for a sack during an NCAA college football game between Georgia and Penn State, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2015, in Jacksonville, Fla.

Leading up to the 2023-2024 college football season season, Red & Black assistant sports editor Bo Underwood will count down the top 10 Georgia players at each individual position.

10. Leonard Floyd (2013-15)

Leonard Floyd is the most recent player on this list, which might come as a surprise given the dominance of Georgia’s pass-rushing unit throughout its consecutive national championships in 2021 and 2022. The reason you won’t see a Nolan Smith or Travon Walker on this list is because Georgia used such a revolving door of pass rushers in those two years, to the point where it was pretty hard for any one player to individually dominate.

That aside, Floyd is one of the most athletically gifted players to ever step foot in Sanford Stadium. He was a devastating combination of power and speed, and his dip-and-rip move gave plenty of offensive tackles fits during his time in Athens. Though he’s only 11th in Georgia career sacks with 17, his ability to draw double teams and disrupt the entire game with his mere presence lands him a spot on the list.

9. Justin Houston (2007-10)

Most people are more familiar with Justin Houston for his decorated career in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he was a major disruptor on the weak side for the Bulldogs. He made second-team All-SEC as a redshirt sophomore in 2009, but took his game to another level in 2010 after Georgia made the switch to a 3-4 defense.

That year, he was named a first team All-American and first team All-SEC selection after leading all SEC edge rushers in sacks with 10. Houston was explosive off the edge and had a relentless motor, and he is eighth in program history with 20 career sacks.

8. Quentin Moses (2003-06)

A native of Athens, Quentin Moses was a highly sought-after recruit in both football and basketball before staying home and playing football for Georgia. He was elite as a junior in 2005, recording 44 total tackles, including 20 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks. Moses was one of the biggest stars for a Bulldogs team that won the SEC championship that year, and made All-SEC First Team for his efforts.

As a senior in 2006, he made 12 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks and was named a consensus All-American. A powerful athlete who stood at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, Moses is still seventh all time in Georgia history for sacks with 25.

7. Mitch Davis (1990-93)

Mitch Davis starred for Ray Goff’s Georgia teams of the early 1990s. He made All-SEC in 1992, and his finest moment as a Bulldog came in that season’s Citrus Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Davis spent all day harassing Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit, finishing with five tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. He was voted the game’s defensive MVP after Georgia’s 21-14 victory. Davis led or tied for the team lead in sacks for each of his final three years as a Bulldog, and his 27.5 career sacks are fifth in school history.

6. Freddie Gilbert (1980-83)

Freddie Gilbert started for Georgia’s 1980 national championship team as a freshman and only got better from there. He was a two-time All-SEC selection, an All-American and was part of three SEC championship squads, to pair with the national championship. He also holds the school record for sacks in a game after his five sack performance against Temple in 1983.

When he graduated from Georgia in 1983, he was second in school history with 26 sacks, and is still sixth today. Gilbert was given the nickname of “Fast Freddie” for his speed off the line. Gilbert eventually went on to join college teammate Herschel Walker in the USFL after his college career ended.

5. Jimmy Payne (1978-82)

Jimmy Payne played alongside Gilbert for a few seasons and the pair combined to form one of the best pass-rushing duos of their era. Payne spent time as both an outside linebacker and an interior linemen. Wherever he did line up; he was going to attack the quarterback.

Payne led the 1980 Bulldogs in sacks, and as a junior in 1981, he set a then-school record for quarterback takedowns in a year with 12. The Athens native made 256 tackles, 28 sacks and forced eight fumbles in his career, and was a three-time All-SEC selection. His 28 sacks are still tied for third in school history and there’s a chance he’d be even higher if sacks were counted as a statistic during his freshman year.

4. Bill Stanfill (1966-68)

As the oldest player on this list, Bill Stanfill is the only one here who played when sacks were never an official stat. That shouldn’t undermine how good he was, though.

Stanfill won the Outland Trophy in 1968 as the nation’s best defensive lineman, and was a consensus All-American that same year. He had so much respect from his coaches that one year when Georgia was blowing Florida out, Vince Dooley let him come in and finish the game at quarterback.

A member of the 50th Anniversary All-SEC team that encompassed the history of the conference from 1933-82, Stanfill went on to become a Miami Dolphins legend in the NFL, but is just as fondly remembered in Athens.

3. Richard Tardits (1985-88)

Richard Tardits certainly has the most unique origin story of anyone here. He walked on to the team as a French exchange student who grew up playing rugby and had rudimentary knowledge of American football at best. He found his way onto the roster as a special teams player — after asking Vince Dooley if that “counted as football” — and eventually earned a scholarship.

Nicknamed “Le Sack” by fans as a nod to his French roots, Tardits became known for his extremely physical and aggressive style of play. He left Athens as the school’s all-time leader in sacks with 29, and then went on to play in the NFL for a few years. He later joined the United States rugby team and helped them make the World Cup in 1999. What a guy.

2. Jarvis Jones (2009-12)

To put it simply, Jarvis Jones was unblockable. There was no one in the country who could stop him in his two years as a Bulldog after he transferred from Southern California. Jones put up 155 tackles, 44 for loss, forced nine fumbles and made 28 sacks in his brief Georgia career. Though he’s only third in school history in sacks, there might not be any pass rusher in Bulldog history as dominant as Jones was at his peak.

His 14.5 sacks in 2012 are still a Georgia record and, that year, he became the first Bulldog since 1998 to crack the final voting for the Heisman Trophy. Jones is one of the only Bulldogs to be named a consensus All-American in consecutive seasons, and also took home the 2012 Jack Lambert Trophy for the nation’s top linebacker and the 2012 SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He racked up the accolades, and is one of the most dominant Georgia players in recent history.

1. David Pollack (2001-04)

As great as Jones was for two years, David Pollack still reigns supreme as the best pass rusher the Bulldogs have ever had. He came out of nowhere after being just a two-star recruit in high school and went on to rewrite the school record books as an outside linebacker.

Pollack’s 36 career sacks are seven more than anyone else on Georgia’s all-time list, and he is one of only two Georgia players in history to be a three-time All-American— the other being Herschel Walker. He won the Ted Hendricks Trophy twice as the nation’s best defensive end, the Lombardi Award in 2004 and the Bednarik Award in 2004 as the best defensive player in college football. Pollack was also a three-time First-Team All-SEC selection, and won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year twice.

Pollack has a case for the best overall defensive player in Georgia history and is an easy choice for this list’s top spot.